Ezerra Rewrite
by Leopardheart-Naux-Kadaj
Summary: Running away. That's all I could do. I ran from everything that became familiar to me. WARNING: A LOT different from the original.
1. Chapter 1

Ezerra

**I don't own Teen Titans or anything to do with it. All I own is my character.**

Chapter One

Pounding. That's all I could hear or feel. The only things that seemed to have any meaning were the beating of my bare feet against the rough asphalt, the ramming of my swiftly beating heart against my chest, and my blood rushing in my ears. Those were all the things I could think about as I ran, as I ran from instinct, from the need to leave, and because I didn't know when I should stop, really. All I could do was run, despite that my time of running should've been done a while ago.

I ran into a city in the dead of the night, one that I knew of. One called Jump City. I came to a stop in a black alley, panting from over-working my body, my lungs bursting from running on little air. My light blue eyes took in my surroundings on instinct, my senses semi-alert as I stood in the mouth of the alley.

As my breathing slowed into casual breaths, and my heartbeat steadied itself to a normal pace, I heard something from behind me. I turned around and scanned the darkness but even with heightened sight I couldn't see anything there. A figure came at me and I stumbled backwards into the street. The male figure came at me again and again, until I found myself backing up into a store window. Desperately, I broke the window with my fist, hoping someone would come help me.

I swerved out of the guy's grasp, desperation giving me energy. But my energy force failed me all too soon. The strong man backhanded me onto the street, causing me to sprawl onto the cool ground and lay defenselessly on my back.

As I tried to sit up, to fight back as my instincts told me to, my arm wobbled and I collapsed. I thought it was over, done, I was going to end here and now, but by some miracle, a streak of red and green dashed forward and tackled the man.

My vision began to falter, making me see unclearly, unable to distinguish what went on just a few feet in front of me. I lost my consciousness and sank into a weary, well-earned sleep as someone walked toward me.

I woke up in a strange, unfamiliar place. Once I got past the grogginess, I realized I was hooked up to monitors and other hospital-like equipment was around me. Flashes of memory came flooding back to me, beginning to take over my mind quickly, forcefully.

_Long sharp needles. White, flapping coats. Uncomfortable metal beds. Freezing, icy cold. Echoing desperate screaming._

My breathing turned rapid and heartbeat irregular as my past consumed my mind.

I forced myself to get a grip and calm down. I struggled to remember what had happened the night before. A flash of red and green toward a stranger. My vision blurred by black spots as I passed out. By those details, I still couldn't figure out where I was.

A tall girl in a purple mini-skirt, halter top and go-go boots walked in, her large emerald eyes filled with warmth. I recognized her as the Teen Titans' very own Starfire, and a wave of relief showered down on me.

Instead of a friendly greeting—or any kind of greeting for that matter—a question came out of my mouth, "What am I doing here?"

"Last night, you were passed and we could not leave you there on the street. You are in the Titan's Tower—the hospital room. Now that you are well, you are free to return your home," the alien informed me.

A shadow crossed the happy-go-lucky girl's face as I looked away, crestfallen.

"Do you not have a home, um—?" Starfire asked, pausing at the end because she didn't know my name.

"No, I don't have a home," I replied. "I'm Ezerra, by the way."

A look of sympathy entered Starfire's green eyes. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

I knew her intent was to comfort me, get to know me better, but I was unable to speak when I recalled my past. "I-I don't wanna talk about it."

"That is okay. My life on Tamaran was most unpleasant, so I do have the understanding," Starfire responded softly, hearing the pain in my voice.

I nodded slightly.

"I shall let Robin know that you are awake," Starfire said, almost abruptly.

She left me alone in a room that looked all too familiar. I strained my ears to hear the conversation, which I assumed was taking place just outside the door. My heightened ears could detect their voices, but couldn't tell their exact words. I could, however, register their tones, and could tell they were arguing. Almost sadly, I realized it must be about me.

In a few minutes, Starfire and Robin entered the room. The foreign teenager hung back as the Boy Wonder came up to my bedside.

"Hey," I greeted quietly, not sure what to say.

"Ezerra," he returned. "Would you like to stay in the Titan's tower with us?"

My sky-colored eyes widened in shock. _Me,_ a worthless runaway from her past, stay with _them,_ the amazing _Teen Titans_? "I'd love to. T-thanks."

Robin merely blinked in response and walked back over to Starfire. "Do you mind if Ezerra rooms with you?"

"Not at all," Starfire replied brightly.

When I walked into the living room at Starfire's side, Beast Boy instantaneously turned and looked at me. A wave of hope and joy crashed into me, making me feel utterly confused. Beast Boy didn't, couldn't have known me from anywhere.

"Friends, this is Ezerra," Starfire introduced me.

Disappointment wafted from the green changeling after hearing my name.

_Who did you think I am?_ I wondered curiously.

"I—I thought you were…" Beast Boy trailed, lost in his thoughts about someone he confused for me.

"Dude, she's not coming back. You need to get over her," Cyborg told Beast Boy firmly.

I could detect sympathy in his words though.

Almost as if concentrating on a scent, Beast Boy blinked repeatedly and then looked straight into my clear blue eyes. The shape-shifter cocked his head to the side a little.

"You're different," he pointed out.

_Please don't recognize my scent! Don't let them know what I am!_ I pleaded inwardly.

"I assure you, I'm human," I responded briskly.

Unhidden disdain pulsed from Raven, who was across the room, her nose inside an ancient-looking book. I was curious as to why she automatically looked down on me but didn't ask about it. Despite that I had done absolutely nothing to her, I figured this was how Raven treated everyone she didn't know—distrustfully, and unwelcoming.

Dinner with the Teen Titans was downright awesome. I'd never been this kind of compassion—or _humane _treatment for that matter—before and it felt so good. Their hospitality and friendliness sent warmth through me and plastered a real smile to my face.

The laughter Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire caused to erupt from me—though the noise sounded so unnatural to me—made me ignore the pointed silence from Raven and Robin. When I did happen to glance at them from the corner of my eye, they met my gaze, the emotions on their faces, in their eyes, guarded.

They were trying to figure me out. I was a big jigsaw puzzle, and almost all of the pieces were missing. They didn't trust me. They didn't want to welcome me. They needed to see who I was—or what I was. All of those were understandable.

I followed Starfire to her room when dinner was done. The open, spacious room had the air of comfort and… home to it. I, quite tired, snuggled into the round, purple bed. I was grateful, ever so grateful for her kindness.

"I think that we shall be great friends," Starfire murmured, blinking fondly at me.

"I think so too," I answered, suppressing a yawn.

I swiftly sank into a sleep that was so peaceful and not full of terrifying nightmares, I was almost scared. For once, I was not haunted by the memories of needles, labs, and the silvery-white full moon that would soon be floating over me in a short while.

**A/N: With this new version of Ezerra, I hope to focus more on feelings and the depths of all characters and less on dialouge and action. I really have to thank Brightstar's Promise, Amethyst Turtle, Byn/13yn and my BFFs from school for making me do this. The first three for showing me I can do better and the latter for encouraging me. **

**Fifth reviewer gets a Starfire plushie :) and then I'll update :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is chapter two! Thanks to my reviewers, I really appreciated it!**

CHAPTER TWO

I woke up and instantly realized Starfire's absence. I decided that she must be in the Tower somewhere, doing who knows what and I'd see her later. I stretched, yawned, and ran my fingers through my hair as if combing it. I walked out of the room and into the Tower. I almost cautiously crept to the fridge, where I found some frozen waffles. Yum.

"Hello," greeted a male's voice.

Startled by the voice that broke the odd silence, I smacked my head on the fridge shelf. I closed the fridge door then rubbed my head. Pain pulsed from the spot, but in a few heartbeats it was gone.

"Oh, Ezerra, I'm sorry I startled you," apologized none other than the Boy Wonder.

"I'm fine," I replied breezily.

"I'm going to go train. You can watch… if you'd like. I think Cyborg might be up there too," Robin told me before heading up to the roof.

I scarfed down the waffles a few minutes after they were heated and had a small glass of milk to quench my thirst. After that, I walked up to the roof. When I stepped onto the roof, Cyborg was on his way back inside, leaving me and the leader of the Titans alone on the roof.

The spiky-haired teen rushed through the obstacle course. The terrain for said course was rocky and rough underfoot and there was danger—as in robotic dummies and lasers—at every turn. Robin's movements were swift and agile. My light blue eyes watched his every step, every leap, and every kick. His strength and speed were almost surprising and his movements were precise and quickly planned within every moment before each attack, or momentary retreat.

As he finished the course in record time, I thought the Boy Wonder needed a _real_ challenge.

"Robin!" I called after a few moments as he came back from the end-zone.

The sixteen-year-old looked at me.

"Want a real challenge?" I asked, walking toward him.

A slight smirk and a 'you-really-think-you're-that-good?' look came my way before he resumed his usually emotionless façade. "Sure."

I grinned and dashed off into the arena. Immediately, my senses warped into hyper-drive. When I looked at anything in the arena, I analyzed how it would be used to my advantage. My heightened hearing heard Robin's footsteps behind me over the pounding of my own feet on the rocks and the skidding when I rounded a corner too sharply. I scrambled over rocks and finally hid behind a large hill of rocky soil. I stood stock-still, waiting to hear Robin's approach. Sure enough, I heard him coming, his steel-toed boots making crunching noises as he came toward me.

I climbed up the side of the slope on my hands and the balls of my feet and peered over the edge. I saw the Boy Wonder but he didn't notice me. Adrenaline rushed through me and instinct told me to _fight, fight, fight, _but I held back until I could jump him properly. He walked right where I wanted him to without knowing it, and pushing forward with the heels of my feet, I sprung almost animal-like at the leader of the Titans.

"Hi-yah!" I let out a battle cry and tackled him to the ground.

We rolled and rolled, Robin ending up on top. I gathered my legs to my chest then pushed outward mightily, kicked the Boy Wonder away. He smacked a wall of the arena and hit the ground with a soft thud. He, not terribly injured, got back onto his feet in no time. But as he was doing so, I was already beginning to climb another cliff-face, digging my nails into the rock as I planned to try a second, but similar maneuver. Robin swiftly climbed beside me.

I had a choice—leap and take him down with me, or keep climbing and hope I'll gain the upper hand.

I was going with the later when he suddenly swung down on me. I lost my grip and tumbled down. I plummeted to the ground with a dull thud and rolled onto my side. I heard Robin land gracefully beside me. I turned to lie on my back—an act of surrender. As if to be sure, the Boy Wonder planted his metal-bottomed foot on my chest, the toe of his shoe almost touching my neck.

"I lose," I admitted, looking up at Robin.

He nodded and let me up. I hauled myself to my feet and brushed off the dirt from my ripped jean capris and slightly worn out red tank top.

"You fought well," Robin said as a stiff compliment and a conversation starter.

"I've been trained well," I replied, not meeting his eyes all the way.

"Who taught you?" Robin asked.

I looked away, my sight going distant, and I was gazing out at something only I could see: my past. "A lot of different people, and yet no one."

I could sense his confusion so I elaborated. "They taught me the moves, but I had the instinct to fight. I know when to duck, when to hit, when to feign injury, and when to show dominance or submit."

Robin nodded.

"You're one of my first opponents to beat me," I added. "Good job, Robin. You're very skilled."

"Thanks," the black-haired teen replied.

With that, I headed back inside the tower. I walked into the living room where Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing video games. Cyborg's shiny little silver cat was zooming past Beast Boy's smaller green one and across the finish line.

"Du -_ude_!" Beast Boy complained, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "That's the fifth time in a row!"

"You should give up, B.B.," Cyborg said triumphantly.

I padded up beside them. "Can I give it a try?"

Cyborg tossed me a third controller and I slid down between them to race with them. I had a little black car that was inching up beside Beast Boy's jade-colored one. With annoyance, Beast Boy slammed on the nitro, making him race away from me….and off the course. I easily passed him.

"You just got whooped by a girl, B.B.," taunted Cyborg, to which Beast Boy growled at.

I ignored the sexism of the comment and focused on the game.

But with a joyous, "Booyah!" Cyborg won.

"Rematch!" Beast Boy and I cried together.

A cycle of winning and losing ensued in which Cyborg won most of them, and Beast Boy and I won a few.

I stood up and walked into the kitchen for a drink. As I did, I noticed Raven pouring herself a glass of hot herbal tea, glancing at me. Her amethyst eyes betrayed nothing but distrust and resentment rolled off of her.

Casually, I asked, "Is there enough tea for me too?"

"You like herbal tea?" Raven questioned, handing me the pitcher of tea.

"I'll drink pretty much anything," I answering, pouring myself a cup of tea and sipping it calmly.

Raven padded off toward the hallway.

"Where are you going?" I asked her curiously.

"To meditate," she replied, her voice a monotone.

"Can I come?"

"No."

Raven's usual monotonous, emotionless voice had a hidden edge to it. The half-demon walked to her room slowly, throwing me a glance over her shoulder as if to make sure I wasn't following.

…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*…*

It was now lunchtime and I was seated between Beast Boy and Starfire. The two were telling me a story of a mission they'd had a while back as Cyborg prepared the food and Robin and Raven were watching us, observing my behavior over theirs mostly.

Cyborg soon brought out the multi-topping pizza to the table. There was gooey cheese, hot pepperonis, little mushrooms, and spicy sausage slices adorning the pizza. All the Titans reached for a slice or maybe five. There were two left and I tentatively reached for them. I slid them onto my plate and ate happily as Beast Boy and Starfire continued their story.

Right as Starfire called Beast Boy a millnipwusserloop—what is a millnipwusserloop anyway?—the alarm flashed and sirens blared.

"Trouble!" shouted Robin, standing up and abandoning his pizza slices.

**Please review and constructive critism would be nice! Flames will be used as a means to played with cause I find plasmas awesome :)**


	3. Chapter 3

****_Holy shit I haven't updated in over a year. I'm so sorry buddies! Well, if anyone is bothering to read it anymore, here's the next installment. Sometimes I wonder why I didn't just abandon it already, but I'm too affectionate for it! I love Teen Titans, and I'm fond of Ezerra. Here you go folks!_

* * *

Oh, fun, trouble. Then again, I suppose this is an everyday, typical thing for the teenage heroes, since they are the Teen Titans-it makes me wonder if they get edgy when there isn't trouble. The five enhanced teenagers began to head out of the T-shaped building, and toward the criminal(s). I lagged behind, taking one slow, uncertain step after another. I wanted to go with them, but still felt awkward and unwanted. The distance between us emotionally was an empty chasm, and pushing myself to be apart of them felt like it would only open the chasm more. I was a burden upon their shoulders - having me tag along like a lost child only would seem like I wasn't useful. I wanted to show them what I was made of, but if I ended up being unable to measure up, I'd be like an unnecessary baggage that no one wanted to claim. To follow or not to follow, that was my question.

"You comin'?" Beast Boy asked, turning to me.

"I, er, it's up to Robin, isn't it?" I replied, looking at my sneaker-clad feet, feeling stupid. My ears burned. I didn't mean to stutter, but the words felt stuck in my throat. I wanted to go but if Robin told me to stay put, I would.

I stole a glance at the Teen Titans' leader. He shrugged nonchalantly, but had an air about him of_ If you want to be one of us, you'll know what to do._

I stood a little straighter, as if it would make me feel braver or more sure of myself. "I'm definitely coming."

The journey was relatively short. The other two women could fly, meaning they acted as scopes to see if we had an outside fight to make it harder to get to our main targets. The rest of us, bound to the earth, took a little longer to get to the lab, but not by much. Upon arriving at the laboratory, the apparent crime scene, fear clawed it's way into my mind. What if I forgot my years of training once faced with real opponents? What if I failed miserably? What if the Titans abandoned me after that? What if-?

No. There was a whole other world of "what-ifs" that I didn't have time, nor want, to deal with. I could do this, scared or otherwise. It was more than fear that I felt. There was a strong sense of determination. A powerful drive of proving I was capable, strong enough and a good person. I didn't just want this; there was a need for them to acknowledge these things.

I followed the Titans into the core of the laboratory, a giant research room. I choked down the panic that rose up at the sight that reminded me of my past and focused on the black-clad villains that were ransacking the place.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted.

Biting my lip, I assumed that meant me too. As I dashed forward to tackle or attack one of the thieves, something within me took over my senses, something natural and animalistic. Before I could get a grip on my target, he slid out of reach and to the left. I pivoted and charged, knocking him into the wall with a strong back-fist. The minion recovered quickly and I backed away as he neared me, moving with inhuman grace and fluidness. He grasped a shortened stick of metal and flicked his wrist, the metal turning into a full-length bo staff. I eyed the steel baton warily.

The black-clad minion swung the metal staff at my ribcage but my reflexes were faster. I managed to use the weapon as a springboard; I jumped onto the end of it with one foot and using my momentum, roundhouse kicked him in the face. His jaw snapped up, head twisting to the left and dropped like lead. I softly landed and leaned over his limp body and saw his neck was at a grotesque angle, but also a ton of severed wires instead of broken bones and ripped tendons.

_Robots that move like humans, but more advanced, clever_... I thought before looking for a new opponent after the stealing the 'dead' minion's metal staff.

I launched myself onto a second robot, kneeing roughly in the back and then viciously plunging the weapon through the weakened spot. I yanked it out and whipped around to seek another fight, anything to fuel my adrenaline rush, my instinct to fight, regardless how feral. My lip curled a little bit, resembling a snarl as a low growl escaped my throat.

A black-clad thief came at me from the left, kicking me in the ribs. I stumbled to the side, but as it came at me again, I smacked it aside with the thick metal baton easily. Before it could stand again, I stabbed it with a kei-ai, and then again, as if to make sure it was dead.

Pain and rage from my past controlled me as I beat the robot minion profusely. All my frustration was released as memories of laboratories, experiments, screaming and eerie full moons filled me, causing me to lose control. The more I tried to push it down, the more it surged, two halves of my mind at war. My knuckles were turning white from clutching the staff but I couldn't care less. I knew this... being wasn't responsible for the pain I went through - being tied down to cold, hard lab tables where I'd fight until my wrists were rubbed raw, being operated on without anesthesia, being tested for hours and hours with no rest, screaming with no one to hear me - but it was like he still needed to be ripped apart for it.

Yet some part of me was... hurt. Damaged on some sort of emotional level I didn't know I could reach. A part of me I suppose I'd shut down so long ago I forgot it was there. A human part, something I'd been taught to be weakness. My vision became blurry, and my lip hurt for some odd reason before I realized I was biting it to keep from crying.

A hand grabbed my shoulder roughly. "Ezerra! Stop!"

I was brought back to the present. A mangled mess of wires and metals that were supposed to resemble a corpse lay at my feet and I dropped the metal staff beside it, feeling numb. Did I cause that damage? Could I be responsible for that level of destruction?

No... I can't believe I lost control like that before the Teen Titans. I'd come with them in hopes to prove I was worth being on their team, but I'd only shown them I was uncontrollable and destructive. I needed to get away now; it had been a mistake to come here, to come anywhere near normal people...

"Ezerra? Are you okay?" Starfire asked, worry in her tone and big green eyes. I turned to face her.

"I'm fine," I answered numbly, shaking off the tremors in my legs. I felt a drop of blood trickle down my lip and wiped it away quickly. "I just need to get out of here. Out of your lives. I mean, thanks for the hospitality, but I really should just - "

"But, Ezerra - " Beast Boy tried to object.

"I'm not stable enough, like all of you. I can't do this, this was a mistake..." I refused help. I can't do this to them! This is not my place! They're not my pack. They have enough problems...

"Do you even have a place to call home?" Cyborg asked, giving me a look with his human eye.

I shook my head. "No, but I can just - "

"Please, stay with us. You are safer with us and we can help you. You will learn control if you let us teach you," Starfire pleaded, sounding genuinely concerned for me. She shot a glance at Robin and Raven, both of which were silent and impassive.

"But are we safe with her?" Raven mumbled to Robin, giving him a questioning look with narrowed amethyst eyes and I cringed.

"I'm sorry..." I bowed my head solemnly.

There was tense silence before Robin said, "Come on, let's head back to the Tower." His tone of voice suggested neither concern nor disdain. It was hollow, as if the decision was yet to be made.

As we began to leave, I spotted an "S" symbol on the tiled floor. The middle curve was a flattened bar, as if for someone to hold it there like a handle. I picked it up, examining it before asking Robin, "Who's this stand for?"

Robin's masked eyes narrowed and through gritted teeth, he spat, "Slade."

* * *

Around eleven o'clock, I snuck out of the Titan's tower. I moved silently and swiftly, easing myself in the shadows. I needed to get out of this place right now, before it was too late... This was for the best. How could I have been so stupid, knowing what I am and them already having a perfect little niche of their own? Was I really such a fool...  
Once outside in the crisp night air, I walked among the rocks on the shore, dreading the rise of the full moon which was unfortunately so soon. I watched the dark waves beat against the rocks and sand near my feet and wondered whether I was to run now, like I always do.

"Running away, Ezerra?"

I jumped, unaware anyone had followed me. I turned around. "Robin?"

The Boy Wonder stood a few feet in front of me. His expression was unreadable and void of emotion as ever, and I couldn't feel anything from him. Huh, weird.

"What's going on?" Robin asked, taking a step toward me. His voice was concerned, and in a way, demanding. There was no room for questions against him; he would find out in the end regardless.

And yet I pushed against it. "I... I can't tell you," I answered awkwardly, looking away.

_I'm a failed experiment, turning an innocent child into a werewolf er, shape-shifter thing with no control. I'm advanced in fighting and the five senses, but I am destructive and suck at y'know, being human... And I tried so hard to forget it all, but after what happened to today, I know I can't. I also think this Slade, whoever he is, is a part of all this, since that symbol looked weirdly familiar and I'm just so confused with all these feelings._

"Ezerra, my team and I saved your life. I made the decision to open my home to you, a complete stranger, understanding the risks that followed. You're not normal, and we all know it. You need help. The very least you owe me is an explanation," Robin answered, his voice colder. Or perhaps it only sounded like that because he was right, and I didn't want him to be.

"You want to know my past? I spent my childhood in a laboratory, my cells tweaked and rearranged. Something about making perfect soldiers for who knows what. They infused me with wolf genes, in hopes to make me stronger and smarter. They failed and I shapeshift into a wolf, like a werewolf. I don't know how to control it," I confessed in a slight rush, sounding angry. Everything had been bottled up, and now it was released. I locked gazes with Robin, whose masked eyes gave away nothing. Did mine show how I felt?

After a pregnant pause, Robin replied, "Beast Boy can help you with controlling your wolf side."

"I'm a stranger; what does it matter?" I mumbled darkly, sitting on a rock. What did I matter to them? They had crimes to solve and a city to protect, not a lost little girl who needed to grow up and fix her own problems. I'm not some pup to be taken care of. I want to fit in with someone, not be treated like some child to be kept an eye on._ But are they your problems, Ezerra? Did you make yourself this way?_

"It's good you found us. With uncontrolled powers, you could be a threat if you fell into the wrong hands," the Boy Wonder explained, sitting beside me. "Once you learn to control yourself... maybe, just maybe, you could join the team."

Me? A Teen Titan? Was that my true purpose? The Teen Titans in a sense were soldiers, protecting the innocent and ridding the city of evil... And I was created to be a soldier. "I want that.. But, Robin, what if it was - ahh, gahh...!"

I was cut off mid-sentence by explosive pain everywhere, behind my eyes, in every cell and fibre of my body. I collapsed onto the ground, my body beginning its unnatural shift from human to wolf. My legs broke, cracking grotesquely loud as they snapped backward into their canine form. My spine snapped and shifted into a canine's, my tailbone elongating until it was a full-on wolf's tail. My nails grew out into razor-sharp claws as my hands became paws. My skull and jaw stretched until my fangs could fit in properly, my ears shifting upward and triangular. My long, honey-blonde hair grew out until it covered my entire body with dark golden fur. My once sky-blue eyes dilated and the irises melted into a warm, piercing amber. My mind was last, switching for the mind of a wolf.

* * *

Robin stared wide-eyed at the massive golden wolf before him. She was panting and trembling with pain in front of him, before turning to face him. Those amber eyes were mesmerizing and sort of scary when locked onto his. His viridian-gloved hand subtly reached for a weapon as the wolf-Ezerra advanced slowly, hackles raised, fangs bared. The Boy Wonder did not want to harm her, but if she attacked, he knew he'd have no choice.

"Ezerra? Do you understand me?" Robin asked slowly, watching for a reaction.

Wolf-Ezerra simply stared uncomprehendingly at the teenager. She cocked her head to the side ever so slightly, blinking. She began to sniff intently, as if trying to forever imprint the exact scent of his skin and clothes into her memories. Robin stood absolutely still, breathing softly and evenly. As long as he kept calm, she'd perceive him as friend, not foe.

After getting the good sniff she'd desired, Wolf-Ezerra took a couple steps back, looking much more relaxed. Her shoulders were down, triangular ears up and tail subtly swaying behind her. Wolf-Ezerra's cold amber eyes warmed slowly, as if by recognition somewhere deep in her mind. She wagged her tail a little bit, and yipped.  
Robin inwardly puffed a sigh of relief. Ezerra was a shape-shifter - an involuntary shape-shifter, but one nonetheless. This was something that could be dealt with; Beast Boy was the perfect candidate to help her. All she needed was to accept that help. She was skilled - a bit sloppy and rough, but that could be helped.

But it left him to wonder who would help with the emotional damage. She had said she was an experiment - who knows what horrors she'd have been exposed to? Was there a way to repay that, bring back a childhood lost years ago? Emotional instability was risky - he knew that all too well from the last orphan of society he'd taken in, trusted, and believed in. He wondered how Starfire had been able to easily take Ezerra in, when she had considered Terra a friend, who ultimately betrayed her and tried to make it all alright with self-sacrifice. He wanted to look out for Starfire - his affection proven in Tokyo - but he also wanted to show her he trusted her. It was a war on his conscience - stay wary, and hope to be proven wrong, or have faith in his lover and pray she wasn't wrong?

At this late hour and Ezerra's newfound vulnerability - if a wolf-form could be called so - it was not the time to debate this. Now was time for rest and recuperation from the day's battle, and prepare for the fights and figuring out the plots ahead. As much as he didn't want to shrug off his duties as leader and have authority over the newcomer, Slade was always his top priority. In the back of his mind, he almost felt stung, personally attacked with this newfound plan. After they'd fought side-by-side to defeat Trigon, and then this? Robin felt a wave of foolishness flood him, letting out a quiet sigh. Did I really expect anything different from him?

Robin returned his attention to Wolf-Ezerra, who was staring at him somewhat impatiently. It was as if she was waiting for him to do something, or give a command. Internally, Robin debated for a few seconds what he was to do with her. Realizing that leaving her outside could leave her confused in the wake of loneliness in the morning, or possibly have her wandering the streets in the night, he beckoned her to follow inside.  
Wolf-Ezerra followed slowly behind, before pausing at the door. He turned back to face her, seeing her hunched up, the soft honey-colored fur raised along her spine. She was sniffing intently. It took Robin a moment to realize her sense of smell was under assault - four new scents, of people this self didn't recognize. After a moment, she relaxed once more and continued following the Boy Wonder.

Robin kept an eye on her as she explored the living room and kitchen area, getting a good sniff of the place. After she had her exploration needs fulfilled, she found a place to lay down to sleep. Wolf-Ezerra curled up just in front of the couch, circling the ground three times before settling. Tucking her nose under her tail, she slowly sank into sleep. Before heading off to bed, Robin covered her with a blanket and turned out the lights.


End file.
